Restaurant bombing injures 20 in southern Thailand

Twenty people have been wounded in a bomb explosion in a restaurant in Thailand's southern Yala province as violence continued unabated in the deep South, local press reported Sunday.

In Yala's Muang district, a powerful bomb went off about 7.30 pm Saturday in front of the famous seafood restaurant, injuring 20 people who were eating inside.

The wounded were taken to Yala hospital, including five who were in serious condition.

Police suspected the bomb was planted by militants in one of the motorcycles parked in front of the restaurant, reported the Bangkok Post newspaper.

Earlier on Saturday, four off-duty officers were wounded in a bomb explosion in a snooker house in Narathwat's Bacho district. They have been sent into the district hospital.

Meanwhile, a 35-year-old rubber tapper was gunned down by a pillion motorcycle rider in a separate attack in Cho Airong district rubber. The victim died immediately on the spot.

In January, Thai government extended a state of emergency in three southernmost provinces for another three months to cope with the lasting violence which has claimed lives of more than 1,000 people.

Authorities and experts blame the attacks on a web of Islamic separatists, local corruption and organized crime.

Source: Xinhua